Home
News
ENLARGE
When the Lutz Center in Grass Valley closed its doors in December 2007, it left a need in the community for an adult care center.
Two weeks later, Helping Hands Caregiver Resource opened. The program based at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Penn Valley has been catering to disabled adults and their caregivers for more a year.
“Our goal for the program is to give the participants a place to go other than home,” said Administrator Colleen Bond.
“It's a win-win because, not only do the caregivers get a break, the participants get to have a good day, too, and that relaxation time makes the relationships between the participants and their caregivers less stressful,” she said.
“This place is the best thing that ever happened to me,” said participant Diane Bennison. “I can't stand to sit at the house and do nothing. I love coming here.”
“I miss it on my days off,” said Allene Tucker, another participant. “I don't know what to do with myself.”
While at Helping Hands, the participants are kept busy with activities, arts and crafts, games and social interaction they would not normally enjoy in other situations. They also participate in fundraisers for the program, and some are able to volunteer in the community.
“Most of our participants think of this as their second home,” Bond said. “It's amazing to see the level of acceptance they have. They form friendships here, and they all really care for each other.”
“This place offers exactly what we need,” said Jerry Mehren, who has been with Helping Hands since it opened. “If there is one word I could use to describe what we have here, it's family.”
The staff of the program are all certified in their particular areas and in CPR.
“The only thing that is technically required is to have one person here at a time certified in CPR, but I make sure that all of my staff is completely certified,” Bond said.
Helping Hands is a nonprofit organization and depends entirely on contributions and donations from the community.
“Local service clubs and churches have been very active in helping us,” Bond said. “We also get regular monthly donations from individuals.”
The program is licensed by Nevada County to care for 30 people at a time; 28 families are enrolled, and the staff works with about 15 to 17 people each day.
“We have no idea what the future holds for this program. We are just growing it as need be. We will continue to expand as long as there are people who need us,” Bond said. “We want to help these people ... feel like they're really living.”
Jerri Cuerden is an intern from the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. Contact her at jcuerden@theunion.com or (530) 477- 4247.
Two weeks later, Helping Hands Caregiver Resource opened. The program based at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Penn Valley has been catering to disabled adults and their caregivers for more a year.
“Our goal for the program is to give the participants a place to go other than home,” said Administrator Colleen Bond.
“It's a win-win because, not only do the caregivers get a break, the participants get to have a good day, too, and that relaxation time makes the relationships between the participants and their caregivers less stressful,” she said.
“This place is the best thing that ever happened to me,” said participant Diane Bennison. “I can't stand to sit at the house and do nothing. I love coming here.”
“I miss it on my days off,” said Allene Tucker, another participant. “I don't know what to do with myself.”
While at Helping Hands, the participants are kept busy with activities, arts and crafts, games and social interaction they would not normally enjoy in other situations. They also participate in fundraisers for the program, and some are able to volunteer in the community.
“Most of our participants think of this as their second home,” Bond said. “It's amazing to see the level of acceptance they have. They form friendships here, and they all really care for each other.”
“This place offers exactly what we need,” said Jerry Mehren, who has been with Helping Hands since it opened. “If there is one word I could use to describe what we have here, it's family.”
The staff of the program are all certified in their particular areas and in CPR.
“The only thing that is technically required is to have one person here at a time certified in CPR, but I make sure that all of my staff is completely certified,” Bond said.
Helping Hands is a nonprofit organization and depends entirely on contributions and donations from the community.
“Local service clubs and churches have been very active in helping us,” Bond said. “We also get regular monthly donations from individuals.”
The program is licensed by Nevada County to care for 30 people at a time; 28 families are enrolled, and the staff works with about 15 to 17 people each day.
“We have no idea what the future holds for this program. We are just growing it as need be. We will continue to expand as long as there are people who need us,” Bond said. “We want to help these people ... feel like they're really living.”
Jerri Cuerden is an intern from the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. Contact her at jcuerden@theunion.com or (530) 477- 4247.
